Toreador
"Made up of the pieces of the people they’ve harmed. Each time they feed they become a little less." Elegant, arrogant, superior, aloof. No, not the Ventrue you fool. For a true sense of style, poise and just the right amount of je ne sais quoi, one must look to the Toreador alone. A Toreador doesn't follow fashion, she'' is'' the fashion. She d efines the world around her by being its focus, its soul, its raison d'être. Everything is always, always about her. And that is as it should be. Are you paying attention? You know that you are. And she knows it too. In many ways the Toreador are the glue which hold the various social institutions of kindred together. They are so entrached in mortal society, so up to date on every latest tisbit of gossip within the domains kindred world. A Toreador knows, and a Toreador watches, and in turn, a Toreador is watched. Classically the Toreador are a clan of artists. From time immemorial toreador have embraced poets, singers, painters, sculpters, musicians, writers, actors, playwrights, weavers, seamsters and everything inbetween. In modern nights their purview has expended to all manners of acceptable artists from fasion desingers, to interior decorators, to tatoo artists, to chefs, to stripers!. This isn't to say that all Toreador are artists, but those who do not practice a craft must at the very least be a connoisseur of the arts, lest they be ostracized by their peers. The Clan "I've seen them work people like puppeteers and thats admirable. Now only if they would get off their slimy asses and put their talents to some use besides feeding their egos." The Toreador of a city organise themselves into Guilds. While this has something of an artistic ring to it, most Toreador in the city are members, whether they are Poseurs or Artistes (see below). The head of the Guild is typically the oldest and most influential Toreador within the city, with the other members forming a complicated stratified social system, the rules of which boggle many an outsider. The clan itself has two divisions. The Artistes consist of the sculpters, the painters, the musicians and the writers. They consider themselves to be the 'real' Toreador as inheritors of the Clan's original values and goals. The Poseurs make up the other faction - they can include the failed artists (or those that happened to be Embraced while their sire was riding a particular fad), as well as the professional critics and those who consider their bodies to be their life's masterpiece. It should be noticed that neither group has a nickname for themselves - they tend to be only flung at the opposing faction as a derisive epithet. Due to their inherent clan weakness, although lovely and seductive, the members of this clan are as much prisoners of their artistic vision and sensitivity as they are its beneficiaries. They are often overcome by the beauty they see around them, and become immobilized with fascination. Such things as paintings, neon signs, or even sunrises can captivate them. It requires a successful Willpower roll to break the fascination quickly; otherwise, the Toreador will stand, awed and helpless, for minutes or even hours. This trait explains why Toreador so often fall in love with mortals. It is said that while the Ventrue are the mind of the Camarilla, the Toreador are its soul. It was one of their number, Rafael de Corazon, who was instrumental in its formation. The Toreador are the greatest supporters of many of the Camarilla's traditions, most notably that of Elysium. This is where the Toreador are in their element, showcasing their latest pieces and practicing their highly effective (and sometimes deadly) form of social manouevreing. From the outside, most other Clans think of one face of the Toreador, but see another. When speaking of them to another, most envision Toreador as the Artistes - billowy shirted, frock-coated fops who crow about the beauty of the ages and lamenting their lost humanity. In reality, outsiders are less likely to meet such characters, given as they are to sequestering themselves away to work on their latest masterpiece. Far more often encountered are those Toreador whose unlives have become dedicated to the Kindred social scene - Toreador are often a large contingent of the city's Harpies, and having spent years with their bitchy and conniving clan-mates they are more than capable of ruining someone's reputation with a pithy comeback or a damning piece of gossip whispered in just the right ear. The Toreador portray themselves as the vampires closest to the living, breathing pulse of the humans around them (though this honour might be shared with the Brujah). They claim that this is what keeps them so vital and modern. Indeed, Clan members are often the first ones to be aware of what mortals are wearing, eating, buying and sleeping with. While a Malkavian elder might be found in his 1800s finery, the Toreador is much more likely to be wearing something from this year's Paris catwalks. As stated before, there are two rough moulds that clan members fall into. Artists make up a large proportion of the clan, which in the modern nights can include computer graphics artists, avant-garde performance artists and sportsmen alongside the singers, dancers and writers. The other portion consists of businessmen, critics and those who are simply beautiful. Practices On the day the Duck was born, the Fox was watching all along, he said: 'Land ho!' when he saw the duck. '' '''Land ho!' and the duck saw him too. '' '''Shiny pretty fox' thought the duck. The duck came up onto land. The fox was watching, he just laughed... Toreador are social creatures, they love to be at the center of the kindred world, and positioned near the cebter of the kines. They also like to compare whose the best at doing so. To that end, domains which house enough toreador generally also have a location known as the "Toreador Salon" a place where the cities Toreador can meet and gossip, or discuss things as a clan. Toreador sire for many reasons. Most of the time its because of meeting a talented artist of some kind that just must be made immortal, occasionally its because of stunning physical beauty, and yet others its simply because a mortal impresses a Toreador so damn much. A toreador may be rash about who he wishes to embrace, but he is also very select. While the main detractors of the clan, often the Nosferatu and the Brujah complain that Toreador coddle their childer, the truth is a much more brutal one. Toreador sires are notoriously faddish, and while the subject of their Embrace can be the most cutting edge, the most innovative, the most beautiful, the most now, they can easily be terribly passe and embarrasing the following week. The sire then inevitably dumps the new childe as soon as is feasible, leaving the young vampire confused and struggling to make their own way. Such is the nature of the Toreador. Covenant Distribution Most Toreador are firm in their their stance with their fellows, their first loyalty being to Clan and to the Camarilla. That said, some do join covenants. The Ordo Dracul, and the Crone are generally seen are too inhuman for toreador, but many can fit right in amoung the Lancea Sanctum, and have done so for centuries. The clan is few and far between amoung the Carthians, but those who are members are some of the groups most inspiring leaders and impressive firebrands. Bloodlines Antitribu The Toreador antitribu are the dark mirror image of their Camarilla brethren. Although they are no less beautiful then their cousins, their minds are twisted and warped, and the antitribu often lose themselves watching others suffer, much like their Camarilla siblings lose themselves watching a beautiful painting. Disciplines and Systems The Toreador make great use of Majesty and Auspex to remain absolute masters of the kindred social scene, they are also talended at Celerity and use its quickness for all sorts of applications. Clan Disciplines: Auspex, Celerity, Majesty Favored attribute: Presence, or +1 dot in the Striking Looks Merit : This is because upon the embrace Toreador blood smoothes out imperfections even moreso then it does with other vampires, turning scars beautiful, plain faced men into someone hollywood handsome, and that pretty girl into someone that everyone just must look at. Weakness: The Toreador have a weakness for beauty. If a Toreador sees something that they would find absoluely beautiful then she is dangerously captivated. This functions as described in the VtM/VtR translation guide book. Toreador in Portland The Toreador numbers in Portland have grown extensive due to its status as 'The Cage.' Because of an inability of the wider Kindred community to police its number Portland kindred are flourishing, in particular the Toreador due to the bourgening art scene. Known Toreador Include: Fabienne, Deliah King, Carlos, Matty Romeo, Sylvia Stanton, Category:Clans/Bloodlines